The best EDM in Denver this weekend

SAT | CATZ 'N DOGZ at NORAD | 11/23/13Catz 'N Dogz has had a smashing year so far. In addition to being invited to create a BBC 1 Essential Mix, the powerhouse duo has collaborated with a mother lode of impressive acts, including Eats Everything, with whom it put together a whole EP. The masterminds behind the tongue-in-cheek-named Pet Recordings, Catz 'N Dogz has also released tracks on some of the best EDM labels -- Crosstown Rebels, Dirtybird and more -- and when you hear the act's signature playful sound, you'll understand why. The group's sound traverses subgenres from disco house to techno, always with a whimsical thread of groove meandering through the productions and track selection, and all while paying homage to the roots of electronic music (hip-hop and disco in particular) and keeping a finger firmly on the pulse of the future.

FRI | EMANCIPATOR ENSEMBLE at OGDEN THEATRE | 11/22/13 Ten years ago, Douglas Appling -- better known in most musical circles as producer and live P.A. impresario Emancipator -- picked up some production software and started playing around. He's come a long way since then, touring and sharing stages with some of his biggest influences (Bonobo among them), and he's proven through his sweeping, Eastern-tinged trip-hop tunes that downtempo's heyday didn't end when Massive Attack went mainstream. Emancipator's first album, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, gained some attention in Japan, and his song "Maps" was played at the Beijing Olympics; his second effort, Safe in the Steep Cliffs, proved his ability to harness the haunting poignancy of instruments with deliberately placed effects, generating a gorgeous soundscape in which you can easily lose yourself. Emancipator Ensemble is a brand new quartet featuring Appling that's preparing to embark on its first tour in January. Before that, though, the outfit is making its worldwide debut in Denver this weekend, with Hundred Waters and RUMTUM. (8 p.m., 16+, $30)

SAT | PETE TONG at BETA | 11/23/13 Pete Tong is truly a pioneer and legend in the dance music realm. With over two million listeners tuning into his weekly two-hour BBC radio show, this king of the airwaves has a catalog of music that could only be rivaled by the entire Internet's vastness of sounds. Tong has King Midas-like foresight when it comes to playing unheard tracks and championing artists who gain tremendous exposure when he debuts their tracks. Catch him at Beta with Cognition + T-Rav and Jaceo + Vedic. (9 p.m., 18+, $20) -- Britt Chester

Amber Taufen has been writing about people, places and things in Denver since 2005. Born and raised (mostly) in Colorado, she has covered the music, food, arts and cannabis beats for Westword. She works as an editor, writer, and production and process guru out of her home office in the foothills.